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zondag 14 oktober 2012

Get ready for a Lost reunion on Person of Interest. Mark Pellegrino is set to guest-star on the Michael Emerson drama.

On the set with Person of Interest's vigilante dream team

Pellegrino, who played Jacob, the mysterious island oracle, to Emerson's blind devotee Ben on the ABC drama, will take charge once again as the charismatic leader of a publishing empire on Person of Interest.

This isn't the only TV reunion Pellegrino will be a part of this season. The actor was recently seen on Revolution, created by Eric Kripke. Pellegrino famously played Lucifer on Kripke's Supernatural in a multiple-season arc.

Even Batman has a sense of humor — or at least the people who bring him to life do. TV Guide Magazine has learned that Conan O'Brien will voice a role in the upcoming Warner Bros./DC Universe animated DVD-movie Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2. The late-night talk show host plays Dave Endochrine, a (yes) late-night talk show host who interviews the Joker after his release from Arkham Asylum. Without spoiling too much, anyone who has read the Frank Miller graphic novel that the movie is based on knows that things don't go so well at the interview.

O'Brien joins a brilliantly cast film that also includes Peter Weller as Batman, Michael Emerson as the Joker, Mark Valley as Superman, Ariel Winter as Robin, David Selby as Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon and Michael McKean as Dr. Wolper, the Joker's Arkham psychiatrist.

"I've got a great affection for animation," O'Brien says. "I've always been interested in drawing, and I grew up on the Warner Bros. cartoons — which is where I think I learned a lot of my comedy. I think I got a lot of my comedic timing from the Road Runner and Bugs Bunny cartoons."

O'Brien's casting will be officially announced Saturday at New York Comic Con. Following up on last month's The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1, the second chapter will arrive in early 2013 on DVD, Blu-ray, on demand and for download.

David Mitchell has admitted that he would "love" a part in Downton Abbey, despite describing the programme as "completely nuts" and "terribly written".

The Peep Show comedian accepted that he had probably ruined his chances of winning a role in ITV's period drama after complaining in one of his Soapbox videos that it had "tipped over the line" of plausibility.

Asked if his comments had caused outrage amongst Downton fans, Mitchell told Metro: "Not that I've noticed. Maybe people slagged me off and I haven't been Googling myself assiduously enough.

"I think it's terribly written but still enjoy watching it and I don't know why. I'll watch and think, 'No-one would say that, why's that happening?' Maybe the enjoyment of the sets and costumes is enough to sustain it."

He continued: "I'd love a part in it, but I've probably shot myself in the foot there."

Mitchell also confessed to harbouring ambitions in Hollywood, but said that he is "too much of a stick-in-the-mud" to leave Britain for good.

"If someone offered me a lucrative job, there's no doubt I would take it," he said. "But I don't want to move there. I'm too much of a stick-in-the-mud to want to live anywhere so sunny."

Following their successful partnership this year with Ultimate Spider-Man, corporate siblings Marvel and Disney XD are teaming up again for two animated superhero series. As previously announced, Marvel Television is already in production on Marvel's Avengers Assemble and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Marvel is set to make the announcement today at New York Comic Con that both show are slated to join Disney XD's Marvel Universe block in summer 2013.

Spurred on by the popularity of the live-action Avengers film, Avengers Assemble will feature the same characters, with the addition of Falcon. Ex-Heroes star Adrian Pasdar leads the voice cast as Iron Man (a role he's previously played on Ultimate Spider-Man and as the title character in an anime series).

The ensemble also includes Fred Tatasciore as Hulk, Roger Craig Smith as Captain America, Travis Willingham as Thor, Troy Baker as Hawkeye, Laura Bailey as Black Widow and Bumper Robinson as Falcon. Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle, aka the animation team at Man of Action Studios (creators of the Ben 10 franchise), are executive producers.

Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. puts the big green guy at the center of another super team — this time it's a quintet of gamma-radiated behemoths. Tatasciore will also voice Hulk on S.M.A.S.H., where his castmates include a pair of Buffy the Vampire Slayer alums, Eliza Dushku as She-Hulk and Seth Green as A-Bomb. Clancy Brown plays Red Hulk and Ben Diskin is the voice of Skaar. Animation vets Paul Dini and Henry Gilroy will be working with Marvel on this project.

Stephen Graham has said that the next This Is England series will shoot in 2013.

The actor - who played Combo in the 2006 Shane Meadows film and its TV spinoff - told Digital Spy that This Is England 1990 will "definitely" start filming next year.

Shane is doing the Stone Roses documentary, but we're definitely gonna do [the new series] next year and my character is going to be coming out of prison, so I'm really looking forward to that," Graham said.

The 39-year-old - promoting the DVD release of BBC drama Parade's End - admitted that he was apprehensive when Meadows first approached him about reprising his role of Combo in a TV series.

"I think it was such a good film that stood up on its own," he explained. "And then when he explained it to me, what I loved about it was getting to know the other characters of the story and letting them really become a part of the whole thing.

"You're getting to see their life, their stories and everything. It's a big ensemble piece now. I'm such a big fan of the show - I guess because I wasn't in the TV series much, I watched it and thought it was fantastic!"

Graham went on to describe last year's Christmas three-parter This Is England '88 as "phenomenal" and "an amazing piece of television".

"Some of the acting was leagues apart from anything I've seen in a long time," he said. "Vicky McClure was just breathtaking."

The lineup for the inaugural installment of "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" was released by NBC on Friday, revealing a litany of fan favorites who will return to compete against each other.

In addition, winners from the past five seasons of "Celebrity Apprentice" -- CNN personality Piers Morgan, comedienne Joan Rivers, country singer John Rich and late-night host Arsenio Hall -- will serve on the board of advisers for the all-star edition.

The distaff half of the competition will be made up of Marilu Henner, La Toya Jackson, former "The Price Is Right"/"Deal or No Deal" model Claudia Jordan, "Apprentice" fan favorite Omarosa, actress Lisa Rinna, and former Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick.

I’m A Celebrity 2012 kicks off next month on ITV1, and there’s been plenty of rumours about this year’s line up.

Most recently, Helen Flanagan has been addressing reports that she’s set to appear in the jungle this year.

Discussing the rumours that she has signed up for I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, Helen told The Sun this week that the series would be a “daunting project” for her and her fears.

She told the newspaper yesterday: “I get asked to do shows like this all the time, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

“It would be a daunting prospect as I’m very scared of heights and it would be a real challenge.

“I think it’s something you would have to really think about before agreeing to do.”

It’s certainly not a no!

Rumoured celebs that could be joining Helen on this year’s I’m A Celebrity line up include former Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan, singer Grace Jones, darts champ Eric Bristow and Birds of a Feather star Linda Robson.

It was reported earlier this year that bosses were keen to get Olympic stars on this year’s line up.

According to The Sun, names on the show’s wish list include cycling champs Bradley Wiggins and Elizabeth Armitstead, as well as gymnast Beth Tweddle and swimmer Rebecca Adlington.

Producers have also apparently found themselves involved in a bidding war with Celebrity Big Brother bosses over one star.

Peter Berg, the producer and creator of "Friday Night Lights," is slamming the Romney campaign for plagiarizing a popular line from the high-school football drama, and he wants the Republican presidential candidate to cook up a new slogan.

In a letter addressed to Gov. Mitt Romney, Berg asks the presidential hopeful to stop using the line "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose" in campaign literature and speeches and says it "falsely associates" the show with his bid for the White House.

"Your politics and campaign are clearly not aligned with the themes we portrayed in our series," Berg writes in a letter obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

In the series, "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose" is the motto the Texas football team chants before taking the field. It's an emotional highpoint certain to stir even the most battle-hardened man's man to tears.

Although Berg thanks Romney for supporting the show, he still cannot resist the chance to stick the knife in by likening him to a Chevrolet dealer on the show, who ends up having a tortured relationship with the American automobile industry.

"The only relevant comparison that I see between your campaign and 'Friday Night Lights' is in the character of Buddy Garrity -- who turned his back on American car manufacturers selling imported cars from Japan," Berg writes.

"Let Detroit Go Bankrupt," indeed!

Unlike Buzz Bissinger, the author of the book "Friday Night Lights," Berg is an Obama fan.

In an interview last summer, he said, "... Obama really is a warrior in chief. He's not afraid to get the job done. And I think that's an important story. I believe in that."

Steven Tyler may have left the building as far as "American Idol" is concerned, but his two-year stint as a judge on the series is still reverberating, at least in the court system.

Tyler's former management group is suing entertainment attorney Dina LaPolt, claiming that she undermined Tyler's renegotiation with "Idol," costing the management company millions of dollars.

According to the suit, filed by Kovac Media Group (dba Tenth Street Entertainment) in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, LaPolt served as Tenth Street's attorney, and signed Tyler as a client based on Tenth Street's referral.

In 2011, Tyler's contract was up for renegotiation, the suit claims, and Tenth Street sought to capitalize on the rocker's popularity by negotiating a $6-8 million raise for Tyler.

However, according to the suit, LaPolt used privileged and sensitive information obtained from her dealings with Tenth Street to undermine the renegotiating process, telling an agent from "American Idol" that Tenth Street principal Allen Kovac "overplayed his hand with his aggressive behavior" and that "Idol" could get Tyler for cheap.

In the end, the suit says, Tyler was offered the same amount he had previously received.

The complaint claims that LaPolt bad-mouthed Kovac and spoiled the renegotiation in order to "curry favor with 'American Idol' to refer her other artists and talents" and says that, after the Tyler negotiation, LaPolt ended up representing "numerous 'American Idol' performers."

LaPolt has not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment on the suit, which does not name Tyler or "American Idol" as defendants.

Moreover, Kovac claims that LaPort turned senior Tenth Street employee Eric Sherman against the company, convincing him to leave and take Tyler as a client with him. (According to the suit, Tyler and Tenth Street parted ways in August 2011.)

The suit also says that LaPort took 1 percent "off the top" from Aerosmith's gross touring revenue -- cutting in half what Tenth Street was entitled to, an amount that the suit claims is in the "millions of dollars." (The group is currently preparing for the second leg of its Global Warming Tour, which kicks off next month.)

The horrific shooting spree during a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colo., this summer has sparked multiple new lawsuits against the theater where the shootings occurred.

The new complaints come on the heels of existing lawsuits that were filed in September.

Four lawsuits representing a total of seven victims were filed in U.S. District Court in Colorado this week, alleging that Cinemark USA, Inc. d/b/a Century Aurora 16, was negligent and provided improper security during the screening.

Three of the suits, filed on behalf of the parents of Micayla Medek, Matthew McQuinn and A.J. Boik, who were killed during the massacre, cite "previous disturbances, incidents, disruptions and other criminal activities" that had taken place at or near the theater, including "at least one shooting," assaults and robberies.

The suits, filed by Jerome Malman, say that, while the theater employed security guards on Friday and Saturday night, no such security was in place at the July 20 incident, which took place very early on a Friday morning.

The complaints, which claim premises liability, negligence and wrongful death, add that the theater's exterior doors lacked alarm systems or other security features that would have alerted employees that the alleged gunman, James Holmes [pictured], "had surreptitiously left the theater by the exterior door and had put the door in an open position which would facilitate a surreptitious and unlawful re-entry."

That lack of security, the suits claim, allowed Holmes to allegedly bring "a virtual arsenal of weapons" into the theater without being detected.

"Because of the amount of weaponry and ammunition, the gunman required time without fear of monitoring to transport the weapons and ammunition from his car to inside the theater."

A fourth suit, filed by attorneys Michael G. Sawaya and Robert D. Wilhite on behalf of Dion Rosborough and Ryan Lumba -- who were struck by gunfire while fleeing the theater -- as well as Tony Briscoe and the father of A.J. Boik, makes similar allegations.

In September, Denise Traynom, Brandon Axelrod and Joshua Nowlan -- who were shot during the incident -- filed suit against the theater, claiming that it had inadequate security and failed to help theater patrons evacuate the building after the shooting.

Holmes, who has been charged with 24 counts of murder and 116 counts of attempted murder, is currently waiting to find out if he will found competent to stand trial for the shooting spree.

Rock duo the Black Keys have reached a state of harmony with Pizza Hut and Home Depot.

Or at least, they've agreed to call off the lawyers.

The group, along with their producer Danger Mouse, have reached settlement agreements with the pizza chain and the home-goods giant, after filing suits against them in June, according to court papers obtained by TheWrap.

According to court papers, the parties have requested that the suits, which were filed in U.S. District Court in California, remain on the docket while they finish documenting the settlements.

The group and its producer claimed that Pizza Hut, in "a brazen and improper effort to capitalize on Plaintiffs' hard-earned success," used the group's 2011 song "Gold on the Ceiling" in an ad for their Cheesy Bites Pizza without authorization, and that Home Depot had done the same with their song "Lonely Boy" in a commercial for Ryobi power tools.

The group had sought injunctions against the companies from further using the songs, plus reimbursement for profits derived from the songs' use, unspecified damages, interest, attorneys' fees and court costs.

Terms of the settlements were not disclosed, and the group's attorney has not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment.

However, if the group suddenly finds itself with an abundance of Cheesy Bites pizza and bathroom tiles, you'll know why.

Doctor Who star Matt Smith commemorated his role in the BBC series by attending a hand print ceremony in Cardiff yesterday (October 12).

The 29-year-old actor visited The Doctor Who Experience in Wales and contributed to a new 'walk of fame' that is being created to honour past and present stars of the show.

Matt Smith casts his hand prints in cement as he makes his first visit to The Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay to unveil a new exhibit of monsters and props from series 7.

''It's remarkable to have something like this that people can go to," he told BANG Showbiz at the event. "You revert to being a fan boy again."

When asked what he believes he has added to the show's history, Smith admitted that he hadn't really considered his impact.

"Its hard to say what your legacy will be because you never plan to do this job planning to leave a legacy," he explained. "You just do it and then the legacy is left behind.

"It isn't as though I've had any intention to leave any sort of hand print, as it were.

"When all is said and done, when I leave, I hope people have enjoyed my Doctor, have enjoyed my time with the Ponds and the work me and Steven (Moffat) have done together and remember it fondly.

"I meet people now and their Doctor is Tom [Baker], or Jon [Pertwee], or Patrick [Troughton] and I hope in 20 years' time kids who are 8 or 9 now will go, 'Oh yeah, my Doctor is Matt Smith'."

He added: "You never know, but I've got my hands here now if all else fails!''

Showrunner Steven Moffat also attended the ceremony and donated his prints to the timeline.

"I'm very excited and honoured to have my hands preserved forever," he said. "And quite relieved they came back out of the cement!"

The writer joked: "I now know, for all my future crimes, that my fingerprints are readily and permanently available.''

The exhibition - which has been created to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of the hit sci-fi show - also features a collection of new props, including the captured and chained Weeping Angel from 'The Angels Take Manhattan', Solomon's robots from 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship' and new companion Jenna-Louise Coleman's outfit from 'Asylum of the Daleks'.

Visitors to the attraction will also get to experience a new interactive 3D adventure, in which they 'step through' a crack in time to become the Doctor's companion, travel with him in the TARDIS and come up against famous villains including the Daleks and Weeping Angels.

Simon Cowell has reportedly stepped in to end the backstage drama on The X Factor.

The show creator has apparently hired a healer after becoming concerned about the growing tension between Gary Barlow and Louis Walsh.

Healer Hazel Taylor has visited the studio to try to put an end to the negative energy and give the contestants a boost, the Daily Star reports.

"We need all the help we can get. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife so the healer was brought in to try and see off the bad energy and bring the fun back," a source said.

"Hopefully, all of the last week's negativity will be over and we can have a laugh again."

Barlow fell out with Walsh after he sent last week's result to Deadlock, meaning Barlow's act Carolynne Poole was sent home ahead of controversial contestant Rylan Clark.

Barlow stormed off stage after the result was read out and the pair still weren't speaking at a recent crisis meeting attended by the judges and producers.

The duo returned to the studio for yesterday's soundcheck, where they "remained professional", according to sources.

"The atmosphere was still a bit strained between Louis and Gary at soundcheck yesterday. Everyone is waiting to see what happens tomorrow and to find out whether they'll be friends or not," an insider said.

Cowell has previously admitted to hiring an American healer to cleanse his own home, claiming that the house "felt different" afterwards.

BAD COMPANY (FOX, New!) - John Eisendrath ("Outlaw") is developing a small screen take on Electronic Arts' hit video game "Battlefield: Bad Company," which drops gamers behind enemy lines as part of a squad of four soldiers - risking it all to go AWOL on a personal quest. Said hour is set up at the Sony Pictures Television-based Happy Madison Productions with Doug Robinson executive producing alongside Eisendrath and EA's Patrick Bach and Patrick O'Brien. Like the game, the potential series will follow "four renegade soldiers as they exit military life and enter the private sector only to realize their commanding officer had used them to further the ends of a shadow unit within the government and now wants them dead to cover his tracks." (Deadline.com)

THE BRIDGE (FX) - Annabeth Gish and Ted Levine have both been cast in the drama pilot, which centers on two detectives from the United States and Mexico (Diane Kruger, Demián Bichir) who must work together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the American-Mexican border. Gish will play Charlotte, "a wealthy ranch wife suddenly widowed when her older husband suffers a massive heart attack while on the Mexican side of the border," while Levine is set as a Lieutenant at the El Paso Police Department, "a veteran cop with a weathered cowboy swagger." Gerardo Naranjo is directing the hour from a script by Elwood Reid and Meredith Stiehm. (Deadline.com)

DIRTY LAUNDRY (ABC, New!) - Amanda Lasher ("Gossip Girl") has booked a new dramedy at the Alphabet "that explores the twisted underbelly of marriage and parenthood." 20th Century Fox Television is behind the hour, which Lasher will write and executive produce. (Deadline.com)

DRACULA (NBC) - Daniel Knauf ("My Own Worst Enemy") has been tapped to oversee the upcoming drama, which follows Bram Stoker's signature character (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers) as he arrives in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society but secretly hopes to wreak revenge on the people who ruined his life centuries earlier. He'll serve alongside fellow executive producers Anne Mensah, Colin Callender, Gareth Neame and Tony Krantz as well as creator/co-executive producer Cole Haddon. The 10-episode series is co-produced by Flame Ventures, Playground Entertainment, Carnival Films & Television and Universal Television. (Deadline.com)EXPECTATIONS (The CW, New!) - Screenwriter J. Mills Goodloe ("Pride") has sold a modern re-imagining of Charles Dickens's classic "Great Expectations" to the netlet, about "a small-town girl with big dreams of making it in the city who is quickly disillusioned by the harsh reality of living in San Francisco - until her fortunes unexpectedly turn thanks to an anonymous benefactor." Pacific Standard's Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea are also on board to executive produce the CBS Television Studios-based hour, as are Television 360's Meghan Lyvers and Evelyn O'Neill. (Deadline.com)

GEN MISHIMA/HOOD (NBC, New!) - Ken Sanzel ("NYC 22") has sold a pair of projects to the Peacock as part of his recently signed overall deal with sibling Universal Television. First up: "Hood," which re-imagines Robin Hood as "an Iraq War veteran-turned-outlaw in an upstate New York county besieged by rapacious bankers and a corrupt, privatized police department." Then there's "Gen Mishima," about "a journalist and a FBI agent who investigate an underground culture of a group of brilliant kids who were part of an experimental school training the next generation of leaders which burned down years ago." The latter project - originally set up at mun2 - is based on a Chilean format created by created by Enrique Videla and Vladimir Rivera. Sergio Aguero will also receive an executive producer credit. (Deadline.com)

JOE & JOE & JANE (NBC, New!) - Joe Port and Joe Wiseman ("New Girl") have landed a pilot production commitment from the Peacock for a new multi-camera comedy about "a conflict-avoidant children's book author caught in an ongoing tug of war between two needy, flawed people: his wife and his co-author/best friend." 20th Century Fox Television is behind the half-hour, which is inspired by Port's real-life experiences. Said duo will write and executive produce. (Deadline.com)

THE LAST STAND (NBC) - Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah's drama - about a group of Army doctors who return to work the night shift together at a hospital in San Antonio - is closing in on a pilot order at the Peacock. Sony Pictures Television is behind the project, which was rolled from last season. (Deadline.com)

THE MOTHERLOAD (ABC, New!) - Robert Horn ("Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure") has sold a potential drama to the Alphabet "based on his real-life experiences of what it was like to begin a relationship with his family later in life." He'll write and executive produce for Sony Television. (Deadline.com)

NOBODY TRUSTS MAZ (CBS, New!) - Actor/comedian Maz Jobrani ("Better Off Ted") is set to star in a potential multi-camera comedy at the Eye about a young couple - Irish-American Jenny and Persian-American Maz - living the American Dream with a house in the suburbs and two kids, much to the chagrin of her father and his mother. Phoef Sutton ("The Soul Man") is penning the half-hour, which is set up at the CBS Television Studios-Tannenbaum Co. The company's Eric and Kim Tannenbaum then will executive produce alongside Sutton. (Deadline.com)

RESCUE 3 (Syndication, New!) - Dolph Lundgren ("The Expendables") is set to topline an upcoming action-adventure drama series for the syndicated marketplace about "Southern California's elite multi-agency task force, which consists of the cream-of-the-crop from Los Angeles Lifeguard, Firefighter and Coast Guard agencies." Emmett/Furla Films, Tower 18 Productions and Envision Entertainment are behind the 20-episode series, which has been cleared by Tribune Broadcasting with a 104-week guarantee. Lundgren will play Captain John Mathews, "a reluctant hero and career firefighter and lifeguard." Gregory J. Bonann and Tai Collins co-created the hour with Bonann serving as executive producer. (Deadline.com)

ADULTING (FOX, New!) - Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein ("The Vow") have scored a put pilot commitment from the network for a single-camera comedy based on Kelly Williams Brown's blog/upcoming book of the same name, subtitled "How to Become a Grown-Up in 387 Easy(ish) Steps." Warner Bros. Television-based Bad Robot is behind the half-hour - exact details of which weren't given - with J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk also serving as executive producers, Kathy Lingg as a co-executive producer and Athena Wickham as a producer. (Deadline.com)

THE BRIDGE (FX) - Thomas M. Wright ("Top of the Lake") has scored a role on the drama pilot, which centers on two detectives from the United States and Mexico (Diane Kruger, Demián Bichir) who must work together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the American-Mexican border. He's set as Steven Linder, "who works at a local women's shelter but leads a mysterious double life." Director Gerardo Naranjo and writers Elwood Reid and Meredith Stiehm are all behind the hour, which also stars Annabeth Gish and Ted Levine. (Deadline.com)

DIRTY BLONDES (FOX, New!) - Rachael Harris ("New Girl") and Angela Kinsey ("The Office") are set to star in a potential single-camera comedy at the network about two women who've been friends for 16 years that are brought closer together by their respective divorces. Stacy Traub ("Glee") is behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, inspired by the real life long-time friendship of Kinsey and Harris, which has a put pilot commitment. Ruben Fleischer ("Zombieland") is also on board to direct and executive produce with Harris and Kinsey also serving as co-executive producers. (Deadline.com)

DIVORCE HOTEL (FOX, New!) - A. Smith & Co. Productions and BASE Productions have landed a pilot order for a new series which "offers warring couples an immediate end to their marriage." Said effort is based on a Dutch business which has "an estranged husband and wife check into a luxury hotel for a weekend of lawyers, counseling and mediation in an attempt to streamline their final separation." Arthur Smith, Kent Weed, Mickey Stern and John Brenkus are the executive producers. (Deadline.com)

THE LAST SHIP (TNT) - Michaela McManus, Charles Parnell, Travis Van Winkle, Christina Elmore and Sam Spruell are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, in which a global catastrophe nearly obliterates the earth's population, forcing the crew of a naval destroyer to confront the reality of their new existence in a world where they are among the only survivors. McManus will play Lt. Jackie Makena, "a crew member who runs the Combat Information Center and is in charge of missile deployment"; with Parnell as Hugh Jeter, "Command Master Chief aboard the USS Nathan James"; Van Winkle as Danny Green, "the leader of a small crew of SEALS aboard the Nathan James"; Elmore as Lt. Alisha Granderson "who co-steers the ship"; and Spruell as Quincy, a paleomicrobiologist. Jonathan Mostow is directing the Michael Bay-produced hour from a script by Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane, based on the novel by William Brinkley. (Deadline.com)

LEGACY (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet has commissioned its own modern-day take on Charles Dickens's classic "Great Expectations" from feature producer Debra Martin Chase ("Sparkle"). Jeremy Anderson and Patrick Moss ("The Unit") are penning the ABC Studio-based hour and will serve as co-executive producers. No specifics were given about the project other than it is "a sexy soap." Chase then will executive produce via her studio-based Martin Chase Productions. (Deadline.com)

THE SECRET LIVES OF WIVES (Lifetime) - Lauren Bittner ("Paranormal Activity 3") has booked one of the principal roles on the drama pilot, which will explore the unvarnished truth behind the marriages of four different women, breaking down the creative ways each close friend nurtures, maintains and endures what many see as an impossible convention of modern life. She'll play one of said quartet, Jessie, "a smart and attractive 32-year-old lawyer married to a handsome minister." Amber Clayton and Salli Richardson-Whitfield co-star in the Warner Horizon Television-based hour, which is inspired by the book by Iris Krasnow. (Deadline.com)

TERMINALES (ABC Family) - Italia Ricci ("Unnatural History") has booked the lead role on the drama pilot, which follows a young woman's life after she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. She'll play said woman, April, "an aspiring young journalist who is trying to impress her unimpressable editor." Lionsgate Television is behind the hour, from writers Susanna Fogel and Joni Lefkowitz and based on the Mexican television format by Miguel Angel Fox. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED LAGRAVENESE & GOLDWYN PROJECT (AMC) - Clarke Peters ("Treme") is the latest to board the drama pilot, about Adam Page (Damon Gupton), a District Attorney who uncovers new evidence that prompts the reinvestigation of a sensational murder case. He'll play his father, Isaiah Page, "a retired cop and former police commissioner for Philadelphia." Aunjanue Ellis, Joe Anderson, Marin Ireland, Paul Schneider and Seth Gilliam also star in the hour, from writer Richard LaGravenese and director Tony Goldwyn. (Deadline.com)

WITCHES OF EAST END (Lifetime) - Madchen Amick and Glenne Headly have both scored roles on the drama pilot, which centers on the adventures of a mother (Julia Ormond) and her two adult daughters (Jenna Dewan, Rachel Boston) - both of whom unknowingly are their family's next generation of witches - who lead seemingly quiet, uneventful modern day lives in Long Island's secluded seaside town of North Hampton. Amick will guest star as Wendy, Joanna's (Ormond) sister, "a beautiful and funny witch who takes the form of a cat"; with Headly as Dash (Patrick Heusinger) and Killian Gardiner's (Daniel Ditomasso) mother, Penelope. Maggie Friedman is behind the Fox 21-produced hour, which is based on Melissa de la Cruz's best-selling novel. (THR.com)

20-NOTHINGS (CBS, New!) - Lauren Bachelis's Hollywood Assistants blog is being developed as a potential comedy at the Eye. Fred Savage ("2 Broke Girls") is attached to direct and executive produce the CBS Television Studios-based half-hour, about "five over-educated 20-nothings living in Los Angeles who do whatever it takes to achieve their Hollywood dreams." Bachelis will pen the script and serve as a supervising producer. (Deadline.com)

BONNIE & CLYDE (History/Lifetime) - Miley Cyrus has bowed out of talks to star in the mini-series, about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Oscar-nominee Bruce Beresford ("Tender Mercies") nevertheless has signed on to direct the project from a script by John Rice and Joe Batteer. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron's Sony Pictures Television-based Storyline Entertainment is producing. (Deadline.com, TVLine.com)

BOOM (A.K.A. THE BAKKEN) (USA) - Josh Pate and Rodes Fishburne's drama - about a North Dakota town where a huge oil reserve has been discovered, turning poor farmers into multimillionaires overnight - has found a new home at USA. ABC Studios is behind the hour, which was originally developed by ABC last season. Flame Ventures' Tony Krantz and Reece Pearson are also executive producing and co-executive producing, respectively. (Deadline.com)

CUBA (NBC, New!) - Jorge Zamacona ("Wanted") is finalizing a deal with the Peacock for a new drama which "tells the story of American and Cuban families at the dawn of post-Castro Cuba with an entire nation up for grabs." CNN anchor Fareed Zakaria and former CNN President Jonathan Klein also serve as executive producers project, from Universal Television and Flame Ventures. The latter's Tony Krantz and Reece Pearson are executive producing and co-executive producing, respectively. (Deadline.com)

THE HAUNTED HATHAWAYS (Nickelodeon) - Chico Benymon ("Hollywood Heights") has booked the male lead on the comedy pilot, about siblings who move into a house occupied by a family of ghosts in New Orleans. He'll play Ray Preston, "the father of two boys, one of whom is a ghost." Robert Peacock is behind the project. (THR.com)

JAMES PATTERSON'S BENNETT (ABC, New!) - Ildy Modrovich ("Necessary Roughness") is spearheading a potential drama at the Alphabet based on author James Patterson's character Michael Bennett from his top-selling detective series inspired by the brave heroes of the NYPD. Said hour is set up at Gaumont International Television with an eye towards a straight-to-series commitment. The company's Katie O'Connell will presumably executive produce alongside Modrovich. (Deadline.com)

THE LAST SHIP (TNT) - Eric Dane ("Grey's Anatomy") has booked the lead role on the drama pilot, in which a global catastrophe nearly obliterates the earth's population, forcing the crew of a naval destroyer to confront the reality of their new existence in a world where they are among the only survivors. He's set as Captain Tom Chandler, "a career Navy man - authoritative, decisive, fair, courageous and a born leader, respected and loved by men and women in his command - and a loving father and husband who's never home as much as he'd like to be." Michaela McManus, Charles Parnell, Travis Van Winkle, Christina Elmore and Sam Spruell also star in the Michael Bay-produced hour, from director Jonathan Mostow, writers Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane and based on the novel by William Brinkley. (Deadline.com)

KING AND MAXWELL (TNT) - Jon Tenney ("The Closer") has scored one of the title roles on the drama pilot, about Sean King (Tenney) and Michelle Maxwell, a pair of secret service agents-turned-private investigators whose unique skill set often gives them a leg up on suspects and conventional law enforcement. CBS Television Studios is behind the hour, which is based on characters created by bestselling author David Baldacci. Shane Brennan is writing and executive producing with Karen Spiegel and Grant Anderson producing. (Deadline.com)

KINGS OF MIDNIGHT (Showtime, New!) - Wallace Stroby's book series - "a dark and atmospheric story of professional criminals led by a female criminal" - is being developed as a drama at the pay channel. Oscar-winner Ted Talley ("Silence Of The Lambs") is spearheading the adaptation with Stroby and Tony Krantz also serving as executive producers. Flame Ventures' Reece Pearson also serves as a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)PERFORMANC ANXIETY (FOX, New!) - Sam Wolfson ("Jewtopia") has booked a potential new comedy at the network which tells the story of a local comedy theatre group in the middle of the country. Cooper's Town Productions' Philip Seymour Hoffman and Emily Ziff and Flame Ventures' Tony Krantz are executive producing the half-hour for 20th Century Fox Television. Reece Pearson also serves as a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)

RISING SUNS (FOX, New!)/UNTITLED ED BRUBAKER PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Ed Brubaker (Crackle's "Angel of Death") has set up a pair of dramas at the broadcast networks. At FOX is "Rising Suns," about "an American Yakuza underboss fighting for his life as he becomes involved with the female FBI agent hunting him." And over at NBC is an untitled hour about "a young female agent-in-training who is part of her agency's cleanup crew, shadowing a more famous agent erasing all traces of his missions." 20th Century Fox Television and the Universal Television-based TBD Productions are behind the respective offerings with Peter Traugott and Rachel Kaplan also serving as executive producers on the latter. (Deadline.com)

SECRET LIVES OF HUSBANDS AND WIVES (NBC) - Jesse L. Martin ("Law & Order") and James Tupper ("Revenge") have both been cast in the drama pilot, a soap that centers on a murder and the secrets and lies within a tightly woven group of three suburban couples and their families exposed in its aftermath. Martin will play Greg Cooke, "a perpetual frat boy and former hedge fund manager whose faltering finances force him into partnering with an unsavory business associate"; with Tupper as Richard Deaver, "a likable and fun guy who moves to town with his wife and daughter to open a real estate business, but underneath his nice exterior is a troubled and dangerous personality." Perrey Reeves, Nicole Ari Parker and Martin Henderson also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Mark Pellington, writer Sascha Penn and based on the book by Josie Brown. (Deadline.com, THR.com)

THE SECRET LIVES OF WIVES (Lifetime) - Kim Raver ("Grey's Anatomy") has booked the remaining lead role on the drama pilot, which will explore the unvarnished truth behind the marriages of four different women - Michelle (Raver), Reed (Salli Richardson), Keaton (Amber Clayton) and Jessie (Lauren Bittner), breaking down the creative ways each close friend nurtures, maintains and endures what many see as an impossible convention of modern life. Raver's Michelle is billed as "a naturally elegant, generous and grounded woman who is the rock of her small circle of best friends." Jill Gordon is behind the Warner Horizon Television-based hour, which inspired by the book by Iris Krasnow. (Deadline.com)

STRANGE CALLS (ABC, New!) - Donick Cary ("New Girl") has received a put pilot commitment from the Alphabet for a new comedy about Toby Banks, "a good-hearted, bumbling Boston cop, who is exiled to night duty on Nantucket island, where - alongside eccentric lighthouse keeper/local paranormal authority Gregor - he investigates the strange, unexplainable occurrences that have become the norm there." Said half-hour is based on Daley Pearson's upcoming Australian series of the same name. 20th Century Fox Television is behind the U.S. take with Ruben Fleischer, Kapital Entertainment's Aaron Kaplan and Hoodlum's Tracey Robertson and Nathan Mayfield also among the executive producers. (Deadline.com)

TERMINALES (ABC Family) - Mary Page Keller ("Hart of Dixie") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, which follows a young woman's (Italia Ricci) life after she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. She'll play Sara - the widowed mother to April (Ricci) and her 14-year-old sister, Brenna - described as "being charmingly neurotic and typically incapable of finishing a sentence who, thanks to April's advice, begins to re-enter the dating world despite the fact that her own mother lives with them." Susanna Fogel and Joni Lefkowitz are behind the hour, which is set up at Lionsgate Television. (THR.com)

UNTITLED BURRELL BROTHERS PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Ty Burrell ("Modern Family") has sold a single-camera to the Alphabet about "two city families who buy the only store in a tiny rural community in Oregon." Burrell and his younger brother Duncan are co-writing the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which has a penalty attached. They'll likewise serve as co-executive producers. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED SIDELINE REPORTER PROJECT (TBS, New!) - Tom Brady ("Good Vibes") has sold a new comedy the cable channel about "the life and times of a local cable sports network." NFL Network's Rich Eisen, writer/director Ron Shelton and sports reporter Suzy Shuster are executive prodcing alongside Brady and Flame Ventures' Tony Krantz. Reece Pearson also serves as a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)

WENDELL & VINNIE (Nickelodeon) - Natalie Dreyfuss ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager") has joined the cast of the upcoming comedy, about Vinnie (Jerry Trainor), a lovable, goofball uncle who becomes the guardian to his buttoned-up 12-year-old nephew Wendell (Buddy Handleson). She'll take over for Hayley Strode as their neighbor Taryn, a divorced woman who bonds with them. Nicole Sullivan also stars in the project, from creator Jay Kogen and fellow executive producer Aaron Kaplan. (THR.com)

WIRED (The CW, New!) - Sandy Isaac ("Drop Dead Diva") has sold a new drama to the netlet billed as "a fictional story set in the 70s about the birth of the computer industry." Twitter founder Biz Stone and Flame Ventures' Tony Krantz are also on board as executive producers with Reece Pearson co-executive producing. (Deadline.com)

Setting up a possible windfall for the cable TV industry, the FCC late Friday announced that it has eliminated a rule that bars cable operators from scrambling digital basic tier programming.

The agency originally put the prohibition into place in 1994 so subscribers with cable-ready TV sets would not have to buy or lease set-top decoder boxes to view basic-tier programming.

But the cable TV industry has been lobbying against the prohibition, arguing that it has made it harder for cable operators to prevent theft of cable’s basic-tier packages.

In addition, the cable TV industry said that eliminating the prohibition would enable cable operators to establish service without sending technicians to the homes of subscribers.

Without the rule, millions of cable TV subscribers may eventually have to buy or lease decoders to continue receiving basic-tier programming on at least some of the TV sets in their homes.

But in its order on Friday, the FCC said that cable systems that scramble basic-tier programming will still face curbs. For two years, adversely affected subscribers must be offered free decoders so they can continue watching basic-tier programming on up to two TV sets in their homes.

The FCC ruling also stated that similarly affected cable subscribers receiving Medicare could get free decoders for two sets in their homes for up to five years.

“Today is a good day for consumers and for innovation in the marketplace,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, pictured above, in a statement. “The commission removes regulatory barriers that prevented cable companies from remotely activating service and forced consumers to wait for the cable guy to show up at their homes.”

Glen Mazzara gives people nightmares for a living. But the 'Walking Dead" showrunner says he doesn't have any of his own.

"I don’t have zombie dreams, I don’t have anxiety dreams," he told. "If I wake up in the middle of the night, it's because I have an idea that I'm excited about, and maybe I'll get up and write it down. My job is to give other people anxiety, not to have it myself."

One of his middle-of-the-night ideas, in fact, will turn up at the end of the show's third season, which begins Sunday.

"You'll have to watch the season finale," he said. "I just had this crazy idea."

Mazzara took over the show last season after its original show runner, Frank Darabont, had a falling out with AMC, which airs the series. But in that second season, Mazzara only expanded the zombified world of "The Walking Dead," which grows this season to two new and insidious locations.

Both a prison and a heavily fortified town called Woodbury look like possible safe havens. But there are no safe havens on "The Walking Dead," thanks in part to a new villain named The Governor. He dominates Woodbury and wants the prison as well.

Mazzara talked with TheWrap about this season's body count, finding the show's "frenetic" pace, and how long he wants to live among the dead.

The last time we talked you were in the middle of filming something big. Can you say anymore about what it was?Glen Mazzara: Actually, yes. It's fantastic. It’s the end of episode 10, and I think it's just an incredible piece of filmmaking… I just really feel like they did a great job and the entire cast did a great job. In fact I went into the editors room today and like you want to hear your favorite song, I just said, 'Hey, can we take a look at that sequence again?'

So does this top the zombies being released from the barn and Herschel's farm being completely overrun?It's on par. It's episode 10, so it'll be in the next half [of the season]. But it's so big it feels like a season finale. And we'll still have six episodes after that. The show's gotten very big this year, it's just playing on a very large scale.

Can you say how much of this season is set in the prison and how much is set in Woodbury?Some episodes are prison-heavy and some episodes are Woodbury-heavy. It’s a story taking place in these two locations. … It's a very, very fleshed-out story for 16 episodes.

Is there any body count we should prepare for? High? Low?You know, I really haven't figured out a body count.Last year in the back half of the season I think we had eight deaths in six episodes. I'm sure our body count is higher per episode. But I'll also say I think the deaths that are coming up this season are just as memorable as Shane's or Dale's. They'll hit the audience just as hard. And yet feel completely earned. All I can say is get ready. It's coming.

You must get a lot of questions from actors who've read the 'Walking Dead' comics or have had someone told them, 'You get killed in the comics.' Do you have a standard reply when they ask if their characters are about to die?The actors actually don't read the comics. They come to this material fresh. Some of them may have read some of the comics, but I believe all of them have stopped.

When we went to Comic-Con this past summer, ['Walking Dead' creator] Robert Kirkman had just published episode 100, which had a major character's death in it. And everybody was asking me and that actor about that death: Are we gonna work it into the show? And we don't work like that. We don't feel an obligation to do exactly what's in the comic books.When we have character deaths, I make the calls myself. They're never easy calls to make. I know some of the actors are afraid when they see that it's me calling their cell phone. I know for a fact one actor was afraid to answer the phone and took about 20 minutes to listen to the voicemail, because they were so rattled that I was calling. They're all professional about it. They all understand we're doing what's best for the show.

That actor must have died, right?I was actually just calling this actor to say hi.

I don't know if you were nervous when you took over the show in the second season, but you sound like you're having fun now.I'm having fun. The producers, the cast, the writers, the directors, we're just really excited. It just feels like we're getting everything ready for a big party on 'Walking Dead' street.

Now that you have a successful season under your belt, can you say if there was a point when you were intimidated to take over?It was a daunting task. You know I was brought in to work on the show as a No. 2, so I hadn't really thought about how I would run the show. There was a culture in place. But I had some showrunning experience in the past and I do love the material, so I felt like my passion for the material and the incredible support of the writers and producers – Robert Kirkman, Gale Ann Hurd – you know, [lead actor] Andy Lincoln was really instrumental in saying to people, 'Let's give the new guy a chance.' We work on the material together, so it was a growing process for all of us. I gained everybody's trust and they gained mine and then when we went into season 3 we just focused on the story. And also, coming off of season 2, I now had two episodes, particularly at the end, where I said, 'That feels like the pace of the show.' I had a vision of the show but it hadn’t been filmed yet. And by the time we had that finale in the can, I could say, 'That's my version of the show. That's what I want the show to be.'

I think people are very comfortable with the fact that the pace is very frenetic, that the material is very challenging. And I stay in very close contact with the cast and the crew. … We all feel that this is the best show we've ever worked on.

It's been a while since we've heard about AMC having any run-ins with showrunners. We used to hear about problems a lot.They're good. AMC has been a terrific partner. And they certainly are involved in the show in terms of giving notes and giving thoughts and being incredibly supportive, and in asking the writers and producers to clarify things or explore this area or that. They lend a guiding hand, which is exactly what a network-slash-studio should be doing. I think we have a great working relationship. We may have differences of opinions sometimes, but that's true of every show. … Everybody involved with the show, including AMC, is supportive of my vision of the show and they've been great, great creative and financial partners.

Do you know how it ends?Yes, I do have an ending. I have something that I want to say at the end and it'll probably change a thousands times, but if I had to write an ending today, I could do it.

Are you writing toward that ending? Do you have a particular number of seasons in mind?Well, we don't ever want to overstay out welcome. But I think we're just getting started, to tell the truth. I think we have a lot of stories to tell. The comic book has a lot of material. But I also have some arcs for future seasons, and a lot of new characters to introduce along the way. I think the show will always evolve and never settle into a rhythm. It's important to continue to reinvent the show almost every episode. Certainly every season.

And you plan to be there through the end?If AMC and the fans would have me. I would love to be the guy shutting the lights off.

A famous face is about to join the decaying masses of walkers on "The Walking Dead."

Showrunner Glen Mazzara said in an interview with TheWrap that a recognizable name will turn up in a future episode. It continues a tradition of famous people getting zombified in zombie films, just as they would be in a real-life zombie apocalypse.

Asked if any famous people have been hidden among the "Walking Dead" hordes already -- perhaps as an inside joke by the makeup crew -- Mazzara said one future walker will be easy to recognize. But he's not ready to say who it is.

"There is one person. But I think it'll be announced as an event when it happens," he said. "There was one person that I was lucky enough to meet, they were on set."

Any hint whether they're from the world of TV, movies, politics?

"They're from the world," Mazzara said.

He said to keep an eye on AMC, which airs the show, for an announcement.

Having trouble imagining your favorite celebrity as a walker? Lucky for you, "Walking Dead" co-executive producer and special FX makeup designer Greg Nicotero recently retouched some celebrity photographs to show what they would look like decomposing. It wasn't just to be weird, but rather for a Red Cross blood drive.

Among recent celebrity zombie film cameos, Bill Murray played a version of himself who briefly pretends to be a zombie in 2009's "Zombieland." And the 2004 "Dawn of the Dead" remake featured mall-dwelling survivors shooting zombified celebrities, or at least celebrity impersonators: It can be hard to tell the difference once they're dead.

And the "Walking Dead" has had one celebrity cameo already: Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian played a zombie in a webisode.

Do viewers seem less interested in Joe Biden's debate with Paul Ryan than his faceoff with Sarah Palin? You betcha.

Early ratings for Thursday night's vice presidential debate between Ryan and sitting vice president Joe Biden are subject to substantial revision due to time-zone adjustments. But preliminary numbers show a drastic dropoff for most of the networks from the 2008 debate

The exception? Fox had a slight increase over the 2008 debate.

Meanwhile, the series premiere of CW's "Beauty and the Beast" re-imagining got off to a strong start.

Dropoffs aside, CBS took the night, thanks largely to the top-rated "Big Bang Theory." The network came in first in the advertiser-friendly 18-49 demographic with a 2.7 rating/7 share and in total viewers with 9.4 million. "The Big Bang Theory" at 8 p.m. grabbed the night's best numbers in the demo with a 4.2/13 and had the night's highest total viewership with 13.8 million.

"Two and a Half Men" at 8:30 posted a 3.4/9, slipping slightly from last week to a series low, and drew 11.2 million total viewers. The network's coverage of the debate at 9 dropped 35 percent from 2008's vice presidential debate for a 2.2/5 and drew 8.4 million total viewers. CBS's post-debate analysis posted a 1.6/4 and 6 million total viewers.

Fox landed in second place in ratings and total viewers with a 2.2/6 and third in total viewers with 6.2 million. "The X Factor" at 8 dropped slightly from last week to a 2.9/8 and 8.3 million, while Fox's debate coverage -- produced by Fox News -- inched up 6 percent from 2008 to a 2.0/5, and attracted 5.5 million total viewers. Fox's post-debate analysis drew a 1.4/4 and 3.9 million total viewers.

NBC came in third in ratings and fourth in total viewers with a 1.9/5 and 5.7 million. "30 Rock" at 8 drew even with last week's season premiere for a 1.4/4 and had 3.8 million total viewers, while "Up All Night" at 8:30 dropped 14 percent to a 1.2/3 and drew 3.5 million total viewers. The network had the best ratings performance among the networks with its debate coverage, posting a 2.3/6 -- which was still down 48 percent from 2008 -- and grabbed 7 million total viewers. NBC's debate analysis had a 1.8/5 and 5.8 million total viewers.

ABC came in fourth in ratings and second in total viewers with a 1.7/4 and 6.9 million total viewers. The network's new submarine drama "The Last Resort" dropped 16 percent from last week for a 1.6/4 and drew 6.9 million total viewers, while the network took the biggest hit among the networks with its debate coverage. It plunged 51 percent to a 1.9/5 and drew 7.4 million total viewers. ABC's debate analysis posted a 1.4/4 and grabbed 5.4 million total viewers.

Following the season premiere of "The Vampire Diaries" on the CW at 8 (which sucked up a 1.6/5 and 3.5 million total viewers), the series premiere of "Beauty and the Beast" the following hour posted a 1.3/3 -- even with last year's premiere of "The Secret Circle" and grew slightly in total viewers from the "Secret Circle" premiere with 3.2 million. The CW averaged a 1.4/4 and 3.3 million total viewers for the night.